The worst and most painful event that can happen to a woman is to know that she is going to die at the prime of her life, just when she is enjoying having children, a stable career and a blissful family life.
Sadly, the lives of women ages 30-50 years old, their most productive years, are being claimed by a disease which is considered to be the second most common in the world for women, cervical cancer. In Asia Pacific alone, a woman dies of cervical cancer every 4 minutes. The scary part about cervical cancer is that it does not manifest symptoms until the latter stage and usually, two-third of the women who were diagnosed dies of the disease. In the Philippines, 6,000 new cases of cervical cancer have been detected. Out of the 93.5 cases of cervical cancer more than 32% die in one year. And the actual situation can even be worse, because women are still afraid to get tested.
Cervical cancer is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a strain of viruses called, human papillomaviruses or HPV, spread through skin to skin contact mostly in the genital area. Sexually active women are more prone to cervical cancer and it affects women of different ages and background. The disease usually starts from the cervix, the part of the uterus that opens to the vagina and spreads through the body if not immediately treated.
According to Dr. Cecilia Llave, chair of the UP-PGH Cancer Institute, all women are at risk of cervical cancer, 50-80% of them will acquire HPV throughout their lifetime and most women who die of it are from developing country like the Philippines.
Apart from the physiological and emotional burden of cervical cancer, not only to the patients but to her family as well, treatment of the disease can easily drain a woman's back account in no time. Diagnosis and pre-treatment alone costs around P48, 000 while surgery and chemotherapy is estimated at around half a million pesos. This amount, especially for women earning minimum to average income, should already be use for basic necessities.
“When you lose a woman, you lose a mother, a wife, a lover, a daughter, a friend and maybe even a breadwinner,” says Dr. Llave. “And the problem here lies on the lack of awareness of the disease especially from depressed areas.”
Beyond Publicity
Born to address the burden of proper information dissemination, Braveheart, is a multi-sectoral coalition made possible through Cervical Cancer Prevention Network and the Cancer Institute Foundation.
“Braveheart is a multidisciplinary crusade for cervical cancer prevention with social and moral responsibility to provide women access to crucial information that is beyond generating publicity, to give better impact to the health of our women,” says Dr. Llave, also the program director of CECAP.
Braveheart is focus on information campaign to raise awareness that cervical cancer is preventable. They have also established linkages with government and private institutions committed to the elimination of cervical cancer in the Philippines. One such association is with the John Hopkins University affiliate, JHPIEGO, an international health organization for women and families. JHPEIGO conducts training and support to health care providers, including doctors, midwives, nurses and health educators in limited-resource settings around the world. In the Philippines, JHPEIGO have trained health practioners from Dagupan, Baguio, Legaspi, Roxas, Davao, General Santos and other parts of the country.
The partnership of CECAP and JHPIEGo resulted in the screening of 3,000 women from all over the country. Out of this number 40 have been diagnosed with pre-cancerous lesions that could lead to cervical cancer if not given proper treatment.
“There is no greater death than watching a woman dies of cervical cancer,” said Dr. Lesli Mancuso, President and CEO of JHPEIGO.
Initially, CECAP and JHPEIGo provide cervical cancer prevention services to three areas in the country, Taytay Rizal, Muntinlupa City and Minglanilla, Cebu. In these sites, women can have screening and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions, counselling and vaccination.
Senator Loren Legarda, a staunch advocate of breast cancer, which took the life of her mother, Bessie, also supported Braveheart during its launching at the Hyatt Hotel. Legarda promises to allocate parts of her women's health budget to the campaign against cervical cancer and pledged her assistance in making a radio-television commercial for this advocacy.
Prevention is Protection
As with any other disease, prevention is the key to protect women from cervical cancer. “Women lack awareness on the fact that cervical cancer can be treated if diagnosed early. But the more important message is for them to know that they don't have to bein danger of getting cervical cancer because it can now be prevented,” as put by Dr. Llave.
Awareness of the disease, how it is acquired and how it can be prevented is still the best defence from cervical cancer. Women who have more than one sexual partner are at a higher risk to acquiring HPV. While condom reduces this risk, HPV can also be transmitted through mouth and skin to skin contact by the infected area.
Living a healthy lifestyle is another great factor in preventing cervical cancer. Studies found out that smokers have a higher tendency to develop cervical cancer because it weakens the immune system of the person.
Meanwhile, the most common mode of prevention of cervical cancer, and strongly recommended by specialists, is undergoing Pap smear once every 3 years, as it is the best way to detect the early stages of cervical cancer because it identifies cell changes to the cervix. A Pap smear screening ranges from P500-800 pesos along with the consultation fee from private OB-gyne. Meanwhile, health centers and government hospital conducts Pap smear screening for as low as Php100.00
Another method of HPV screening which is relatively cheaper than Pap smear is acetic acid wash or AAW, which, through the use of vinegar stains the abnormal areas of the cervix white, which is called acetowhite lesions. Both HPV screening method is promoted by CECAP and JHPEIGO.
“It is going to be a terrible injustice to women to advocate without providing screening to them. Women need to know that she has somewhere to go in this country,” pointed Dr. Mancuso.
Vaccination is another option for women to prevent cervical cancer. GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix, when injected to the cervix produce antibodies to combat the two most dangerous types of HPV, 16 and 18. Women ages 15-50 who are vaccinated with Cervarix found to have a stronger immune system against cervical cancer viruses. Meanwhile, a second study conducted to women ages 15-25 showed that the vaccine can last up to 5.5 years.
Healthy living, awareness and regular screening ensure the decline of cervical cancer cases. And with Braveheart behind the campaign to eliminate cervical cancer, the lives of hundreds, even thousand of women will be saved from its deadly claws.
